Death of Barry Bagels founder Barry Greenblatt will leave ‘big void’

Regular customers at Barry Bagels on North Holland-Sylvania Road will almost certainly feel a void the next time they enter the shop.

Founder Barry Greenblatt, whose familiar smiling face could be found at the shop up to seven days a week, died July 31 at his home in Sylvania Township. He was 65.

Barry Greenblatt, founder of Barry Bagels, with one of his grandsons. Photo courtesy Mark Greenblatt

Greenblatt, who was known for his genial personality and business ethics, was still heavily involved in the day-to-day operation of the 42-year-old business, said family spokesperson Jim Nusbaum, CEO of Barry Bagels Franchise Holding.

Most people who met him felt an instant connection, Nusbaum said.

“He’s the kind of guy you met once and you felt like you had a friend for life,” he said. “He made you feel special. He was really incredible in that way.”

Over the years, Barry Bagels grew into one of Toledo’s iconic eateries, known for its fresh bagels baked daily throughout the day — many baked by Greenblatt himself.

“He was very involved, still making bagels, still working the counter,” Nusbaum said. “He was an incredibly hard worker and incredibly good with customers. He was very loyal to his customers and to his employees. Very kind, very generous.”

Greenblatt’s son, company president Mark Greenblatt, is the same way, Nusbaum said.

“He’s the same as Barry. Very, very involved on a day-to-day basis,” he said.

Greenblatt, a native of Detroit, moved to Toledo as a young man. He and a partner opened the first Barry Bagels location — then called The Bagel Place — at the corner of Sylvania Avenue and Holland-Sylvania Road in 1972. He later added locations in Maumee, Perrysburg, Westgate in Toledo and Ann Arbor. The newest location, in Lambertville, opened in May and is a template store for a planned series of franchise locations, Nusbaum said.

The first of five planned locations in the Columbus area is expected to open by the end of the year, and the company is in talks with other cities as well.

“He was very excited for the opportunity to grow the brand,” said Nusbaum, whose first job in high school was at Barry Bagels. He later reconnected with the family to help franchise the business.

Workers at the Sylvania location carried on with normal business Aug. 1, but said Barry’s absence was felt.

“He was here every day, every week. If you wanted to find him, he was here,” said baker and assistant manager Jared Becker, who called Greenblatt not only his boss but also his friend.

Becker said he would miss Greenblatt’s one-liners the most. He would say “Really?” all the time, for example, he said.

“He was a real solid guy. He cared about his employees,” Becker said. “Most places you don’t get to know your boss. Once you got his respect, he started to lean on you and treat you like a friend, not an employee.”

“Barry was the most driven, loving and witty man I know,” employee Courtney Selvey wrote, too overcome with emotion to speak. “He took me under his wing and treated me like family. I will love and miss him beyond words.”

Friends in the restaurant community are just as shocked and saddened by the news of Greenblatt’s death as his customers and employees.

George Mancy, managing partner of Mancy’s Italian Grill, said he and many others are heartbroken by the loss.

“To everyone walking in the door at the Sylvania Barry Bagels, it was a big smile and ‘Hello, how are you? How are the kiddos? What can I get you?’” Mancy said. “Whether it was someone who went in there once or someone who stopped in once a week, he’s just been a big part of the community. I think everyone’s heart is broken.”

Toledo food blogger Josh Wagy chose Barry Bagels as the first feature in his series of videos highlighting local restaurants when he launched Toledo food blog Smash Toledo last year.

“That’s the No. 1 thing I’m asked for when I go out of town: ‘I need a dozen salt bagels,’ or ‘I need a dozen everything bagels. Don’t show up here unless you have bagels,’” Wagy told Toledo Free Press at the time. “When I’m not in Toledo for a long period of time, you do crave it.”

“Barry was a great man,” Wagy said. “He was a king in Toledo’s food scene. It seemed like he knew everyone when you went into the Holland-Sylvania store for lunch. He always took a second to say hi and ask what was going on with you. His son Mark is a chip off the old block and brings the same kindness and humor to all their loyal customers. He will be dearly missed.”

Obesity in Toledo

He took medicine for his cholesterol and blood sugar. He experienced the asthma, sleep apnea and insecurity that come with carrying around the weight of a second person.

Mark Greenblatt. Photo and cover photo by Joseph Herr.

Then he lost 150 pounds through diet and exercise, trading sleep apnea, asthma and medications for restful nights of sleep, high energy and a whole new wardrobe.

“When I started, my pants were a 54-inch waist,” he said. “Last September, I had a 32-inch waist, which is something I hadn’t had since junior high.”

Greenblatt’s journey to obesity was, like many Americans’, a gradual accumulation of lifestyle choices that hit a critical mass.

Recent data indicate his is only one story in a much larger narrative. Obesity rates around the country have risen to unprecedented levels, and Toledo’s is among the worst.

In April, the online news site 24/7 Wall Street ranked Toledo the “7th fattest city in America.”

“Yeah, we’re pretty fat, it’s true,” said Lucas County Health Commissioner Dr. David Grossman. “It’s funny; at one of our health care meetings we were saying how we’re famous for things that you don’t want to be famous for.”

Bursting at the seams

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 22.9 percent of Americans 20 and older were obese in 1988-94. By 2010, that number had risen to 35.7 percent.

A person is obese if his or her body mass index (BMI) is 30 or higher. BMI is calculated using height and weight. A 5-foot-6-inch woman weighing 160 pounds would have a BMI of 25.8. If that same woman gained 40 pounds, her BMI would jump to 32.3, putting her in the obese category.

Statistics differ between surveys, but the percent national obesity rate cited by the CDC was obtained through actual measurement, while state numbers are obtained through self-reporting.

In 2011, the CDC’s self-reported obesity rate for the state of Ohio was 29.6 percent, the 12th most obese state in the nation. According to the 2011 Lucas County Community Health Needs Assessment, also self-reported, Lucas County’s obesity rate is 35 percent. The percentages vary, but Lucas County stands out either way.

The Ohio Department of Health divides Ohio into 10 regions and nine large counties. Of those 19 areas, Lucas County is tied for the fifth highest obesity rate.

“What we’re seeing is many, many, many people who are obese, who are too heavy, and what’s happening is they are developing diabetes and … heart problems and high blood pressure,” said Barbara Gunning, director of health services for the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department.

Toledo, however, trumps most national heavyweights. Gallup recently surveyed 189 U.S. metropolitan areas. Only six had higher obesity rates than Toledo.

24/7 Wall Street evaluated Gallup’s 11 metropolitan areas with the highest obesity rates and also evaluated other obesity factors like healthy eating and exercise, as well as health effects like hypertension and diabetes. The site ranked Toledo as the “7th fattest city in America” and the fattest in Ohio, stating, “Toledo residents were more likely than most Americans to have high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes, or to have suffered a heart attack.”

Grossman said many Lucas County residents do not exercise much and that hard economic times drive people to buy cheaper, easier-to-prepare unhealthy foods as opposed to healthier foods, which are more expensive and take more time to prepare.

For example, a meal-sized salad at McDonald’s costs $4.95 without a drink or any sides. For that same price, you could buy four double cheeseburgers and a large sweet tea off the dollar menu. So if you’re feeding four kids, you can buy them all cheeseburgers for a total of $4 or you can buy them all salads for nearly $20.

Healthy eating can hurt the piggy bank, and simply put, Americans aren’t willing to pay extra for food that doesn’t taste as good.

According to the CDC, obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer — some of the leading causes of preventable death.

“The medical dangers of being obese, there are many,” said Amy Watkins, program director at Mercy Weight Management Center. “There are actually hundreds of conditions that are related to obesity. It really does have an impact on every aspect of the body. It definitely can decrease life expectancy by five to 10 years easily. So it can take five to 10 years off of your life.”

In 2008, medical costs associated with obesity were estimated at $147 billion, with obese people paying on average $1,429 more than those of normal weight, according to the CDC.

“If I spend a little bit more money to have fresh food and vegetables around, at least I’m not paying for copays and all the medicine and doctor visits,” Greenblatt said.

“We move a lot less and we have a greater excess of food,” she said. “Thirty years ago, the percentage of obese Americans was minimal. Our sense of portion control and portion sizes has changed a lot in the last 30 years. The first McDonald’s, when it opened in the ’50s, [an adult meal] was basically the size of a kids meal, and look what we have today. I remember as a little kid you got a small hamburger and a little package of fries. Today they’ve quadrupled that.”

Greenblatt battled his weight for years while working on his feet at his carryout and delivery pizza shop, but switching to a desk job sent him into his heaviest days.

His BMI was 46 at his peak. He tried to lose weight several times to no avail.

“I had worked one-on-one with a nutritionist a few years prior to that and maybe I lost 20 pounds for four months,” he said. “I had tried other programs and had no success with them. Didn’t like the meetings, didn’t like the programs.”

Greenblatt’s comeback

Greenblatt’s big change came when he decided to join Mercy Weight Management Center’s nonsurgical weight loss program in June 2011, beginning the day after Father’s Day — a journey he hoped would keep him around longer for his two young boys ages 3 and 6.

“My inspiration now is to maintain a healthy lifestyle and set a good example for my kids,” Greenblatt said.

He joined the program with a group as part of a fundraiser. The group gathered sponsors who would pay for every pound they lost. Greenblatt made his donors more charitable than they ever expected.

“Once I had done that and made it public, I didn’t feel like there was any room for failure,” he said.

Mercy’s program involves attending weekly behavioral classes, working with a personal weight-loss coach and eating a structured diet that can be medically monitored.

“The first 50 pounds came off in 10 weeks, 100 in six months,” Greenblatt said. “Knowing that I was eating to live rather than living to eat was a big thing.”

With such rapid weight loss, Greenblatt struggled to keep a wardrobe that fit his shrinking figure. He spent thousands of dollars replacing clothes in a life-changing 18 months. He would buy just enough to last him until he needed to drop down another size. At one point, he had only two pairs of pants that fit.

“I’ve got one going into the dryer and one coming out of the dryer,” he said. “I went from wearing a 4X T-shirt to a large. At my peak I was able to get down to a medium. I just had to start shopping. It was absolutely crazy. It’s a good problem to have.”

Greenblatt’s wife Denise did the program and lost 40 pounds. She said their new lifestyle has improved their relationship with their children.

“[The kids] absolutely love it because we’re out there playing ball, we go bike riding,” she said. “Any chance we can we’re out there doing activities. They love it. I would say that being healthy, eating healthy, and being active is very important in our life so that we can stay young and healthy to stay in our children’s life in every way possible for as long as possible. He’s a definite inspiration to myself and the kids and a great motivator.”

Greenblatt runs, bikes, plays basketball and softball and does cross-training. He works out at least four days a week for at least an hour. He still attends the weekly program meetings to hold himself accountable and encourage others in the process.

“Everything in my life was changed in many ways as a result of going through the program,” Mark said. “Anybody can have the same success I had if they listen to what the program said they are supposed to do and don’t challenge it.”

Smash Toledo aims to showcase local food

The self-described foodie has worked his way through the menus at several Toledo-area restaurants and now wants to share his knowledge by offering the “inside track” on local eats.

On March 24, the 33-year-old South Toledoan will officially launch Smash Toledo, a website where he plans to post videos highlighting one local eatery per month. The first video will feature Barry Bagels.

“Smash is going to go behind the scenes of Toledo’s staple dishes, its new and upcoming dishes, chefs and people doing really cool stuff in the city,” Wagy said. “The best way I can describe it is it will be simple and functional, like a Yelp or an Urbanspoon, where you’ll be able to search restaurants, cuisines, areas.”

The site will focus on the positives, Wagy said.

“I don’t want Smash to turn into Yelp — and I’m not throwing them under the bus; I use them all the time — but when people are upset they definitely leave more reviews than people who had a good time. Comments are often about the server having a bad day; they have nothing to do with the food or the history of that place,” Wagy said.

“I’m all about being critical of a place; I think that is necessary. But all places can have a bad day and Smash is going to be way more of a lighthearted thing, a way to say ‘This is why you want to go to these places and support these people and what they’re doing.’

“Every time you go somewhere and ask them what they do best and they say, ‘Everything,’ it drives me crazy. It’s not true,” Wagy said. “Chefs are better at certain things and restaurants are better at certain things. Yes, everything might be good, but there are a couple things that are ridiculous.”

Try something new

Wagy said he hopes the project will inspire people to try something new.

“There might be a restaurant a mile down the road from them they never tried,” Wagy said. “It’s a comfort food thing, a comfort zone thing. Someone might have made you go eat somewhere and you loved it so you always go back there and you won’t try the place next to it because you know this place is good. That’s where the video comes into play. The power of video is amazing. We want to show people what they are missing out on.”

Wagy said the hardest part will be choosing which restaurants to feature.

“Barry Bagels, Packo’s, Mancy’s Steakhouse — there’s a bunch of places like that. Toledo staples that aren’t going anywhere and they’ll always be doing something fantastic,” Wagy said. “Then you have a bunch of new places doing stuff no one else is doing, so there’s going to have to be a mix of both. I’m not sure how we’re going to choose to be honest with you. We’ll get to everyone eventually, hopefully.”

Wagy said he chose Barry Bagels to kick off the project because the eatery is a Toledo staple.

Josh Wagy

“That’s the No. 1 thing I’m asked for when I go out of town: ‘I need a dozen salt bagels,’ or ‘I need a dozen everything bagels. Don’t show up here unless you have bagels,’” Wagy said, laughing. “When I’m not in Toledo for a long period of time, you do crave it.”

Mark Greenblatt, president of Barry Bagels, and his father, owner Barry Greenblatt, said they were honored to be chosen.

“The fact he asked us first, I really appreciate it. It just goes to show how much he enjoys eating at our establishment,” Mark said. “I saw the video and he did a great job. [Smash Toledo] is great.

“It’s great for my industry and it’s great for Toledo to get the word out about how many wonderful independent restaurants there are in the city of Toledo — and there are a bunch. It’s really cool and we’re quite happy he’s doing it,” Mark said.

Wagy was born in South Carolina, grew up in New Orleans and moved to Toledo with his family when he was in fifth grade. He graduated from Bowsher High School and the University of Toledo.

By day, Wagy is an industrial engineer at Fuse Tech Inc., which provides ceramic welding repair on glass furnaces. He also has a background in Web and graphic design. His wife, Emily, manages her family’s South Toledo restaurant, Caper’s Restaurant & Bar.

Wagy said he can’t pinpoint exactly what draws him to food, but he loves eating and the experience of dining out. He also likes to support local businesses and try new things.

“I’ve lived in Toledo for a long time and people will ask, ‘Have you tried this place?’ and I’m like, ‘I haven’t even heard of that place,’” Wagy said. “It’s amazing. That’s the point of all this.”

Wagy’s father, Bill Wagy, was a television sportscaster in Toledo for years and his grandfather was a newscaster in Washington, D.C.

“I grew up in news studios,” Wagy said. “I always kind of wanted to do video, but never really got around to it. But with me having such a huge passion for food, bringing them together just seemed like the right thing to do.”

Generating buzz

Wagy started thinking about Smash Toledo about a year ago. He came across the name while browsing available URLs.

“I just loved the way it sounded,” Wagy said.

Next, Wagy and his friend Jim Korte, a former Sylvania resident now living in Cincinnati, tweaked the logo for months before they were satisfied.

The project has already generated a lot of buzz, including partnership offers and inquiries about expanding to other cities. Wagy said he has a lot of ideas about the future, but for now he’s focused on launching a quality product in Toledo.

“It’s been unbelievable. It’s been really actually overwhelming. It’s been amazing that everyone’s been so supportive,” Wagy said. “Right now, I just want to not screw up. I just want to keep going. It’s funny because I’ve started other projects and Smash just feels like it’s the right time, right place kind of thing. I definitely think that’s why it’s going to be successful.”

Dozens of local restaurateurs have already come out in support of the project, many of them featured on a launch video posted at smashtoledo.com.

Sandy Spang, owner of Plate 21 in South Toledo, said she applauds Smash Toledo’s new take on an old concept.

“It’s a new format, but what Josh is trying to do is almost old-fashioned, like the old food critics that used to be out there and who were really powerful because they knew food and wrote really informed, meaningful reviews,” Spang said. “As much help as Yelp is — I use it myself — everybody knows it can be kind of capricious.

“Josh is the real deal. His enthusiasm is infectious. He’s got a passion for it. That’s what I think is going to make Smash different — that knowledge, that passion. Josh is going to find the little treasures, the unknowns, the unsung. I think that’s fantastic. He’ll raise the level for everyone. I’m all about making Toledo the best it can be and I think Smash can help do that.”

Dennis Chung, owner of KotoBuki in Sylvania, agreed.

“I thought it was an awesome idea and it seems to be going really well,” Chung said. “Toledo is very food-oriented and Josh is very passionate about food. It’s kind of a fresh new take on dining. It’s something easier to digest, especially for the current generation who probably don’t get their news from print as much.”

Moussa Salloukh and Tony House, co-owners of Burger Bar 419, said Wagy has been a regular customer since the eatery opened in 2011 and they are both excited about Smash Toledo.

“This is something Toledo needs to keep everybody in touch with the local food scene,” Salloukh said. “He promotes a lot of local restaurants out there doing cool stuff, so I think it’s going to be a great vessel. He’s doing great things with this. It’s going to be big.”

For more information, visit smashtoledo.com or follow @smashtoledo on Instagram and Twitter.